exactly like the situation.

"Seems like it wasn't bad enough for us to be wrecked, and marooned on
this queer island, but we have to fall across the trail of some unknown
parties who may be up to all sorts of unlawful dodges, for all we know.
But Thad, tell me more of what you saw and heard."

"When I started out from here," the scoutmaster began, "I knew that I'd
probably only have to look around at this end of the island, because no
sensible man was going to take up his quarters where these storms always
strike in. And then I figured it out that the chances were, these
parties, if there were more than the one fellow I'd seen sneaking
around, and spying on us, would want to be down close to the water, for
a good many reasons. You can understand that, Allan?"

"Yes, and I think that notion would have come to me, just as it did
you," replied the other promptly, showing that he was following the
narrative closely.

"Well, that being the case," resumed the scoutmaster, "I stuck to the
lower part of the land, climbing over and around such outcropping rocks
as I came across. The moon wasn't helping me very much, though it's up
there behind the clouds; and on that account you see the darkness is
never so bad as when there's no moon at all.

"It wasn't so very long before I heard something knocking softly near
by, and listening carefully I made up my mind that it must be a boat
that was kept in a snug cove perhaps, and yet where it got more or less
wash of the sea beyond.